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By Frank Byronn Glenn– We all thought the “clown car” parade of slap-stick Republican candidates for the Presidency in 2014 was the epitome of hilarity.

Many of us also made note of the fact that any idea Obama came out in support of — even if it was originally a bill sponsored by a coterie of Republicans or a policy position on whether chocolate or black labs were the better dogs — would immediately be disavowed, denounced — and rejected publicly by the GOP — who would almost wretch to think about it because — well, you guessed it — Obama was against it.

They became so skilled — initially, at rejecting or obstructing anything Obama favored – and ultimately denoucncing or resisting anything that resembled an American government agency, department, or operation of any kind attempting to do anything — except maybe snooze in the hammock and sigh, “oh, well”, “stuff happens”, and, of course, draw their paychecks — would send Republicans into to fits of “its the end of the world” and the “Hitlerian, Kenya-esque, fascist, Hitler euro-socialist black guy” is trying to “take over America and give it to the black and brown skinned heathens” — “and we have to stop him at any cost!” — that after enough time passed their daily poliltcal lives became that the only way they could show their right-wing nut demented base that they were they to save them from the black guys big, mean government — was to be AGAINST EVERYTHING!

So now, sadly for Republicans, they are so stuck in their “obstruct everything” gear — that now that they control both the House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate they the only people they can obstruct now is themselves. So that is what they are going with the opportunity to “govern” that they have been grinding their teeth and praying for since 2006. And that’s about all they are doing.Besides trying to stop anything decent government tries to do for ordinary Americans. And undermine our relationships with our foreign allies. Or scuttle the brief and perhaps only chance to slow down, stop or at least regulate runaway nuclear weapons development in Iran. And finally, of course, the GOP would like an all out eternal ground and air war in the middle east — with troops on the ground — violence, mayhem, murder, and obliteration continuing in perpetuity — but they would like not to be blamed for it.

I look forward to the day when the American people finally see these knuckle-dragging, troglodyte-war mongering, corporate crony-monopoly capitalism “yes boys” for the national disgraces they are and send them back to the cesspool, red-state ignoramus backwaters of America most of them came from and to which they so richly deserve to be banished to — never to be heard from again — if we are lucky!

By Frank B. Glenn — Joni Ernst speaks proudly about how growing up in Iowa farm country and learning to do things like castrating hogs helped make her the woman she is. I submit that the women she is — is not much — unless “crackers” count as something special. Maybe she found her calling long ago — maybe she should go back to Iowa and castrate some hogs — “make them squeal”, she giddily and proudly proclaims.

By Frank Byronn Glenn — There you have it. Abu Kattala himself said the Benghazi attack was retaliation for the anti-muslim video. And I am still waiting for the right wing echo chamber and all the right wing Congressional talking heads to: 1) acknowledge publicly that the one of the instigators and leaders of the Benghazi attack said himself that the anti-muslim video was one of the motivations for the attacks; 2) apologize to Susan Rice and President Obama for demonizing and politicizing a national tragedy for raw and grass political gain based on errors and mis-statements of fact — and seriously erroneous and/or disingenuous statements and accusations repeated as Republican mantra and hype for months.

As Hilary Clinton so aptly pointed out at the time — what difference does it make — whether it was evil terrorists, anti-muslin video protestors, or a small band of depraved individuals in a far off, inhospitable place in the world — just out for their evening kill. The answer, of course, at least from the fanatic right wing, was that it makes all the difference in the world. If you say it was anti-muslim video protestors — then you are lying, and you are incompetent, and you are involved in a cover-up and mis-representation of facts and the President needs impeached and Susan Rice and anybody else that knows anything about it should be fired and/or tried for treason.

Before long, all the ills of the nation under this, the black President — “fast and furious” (which was actually a Bush administration program), the Affordable Care Act, being born in Kenyan and then somehow smuggling himself into the Presidency when we weren’t looking, the IRS plot to destroy right-wing pacs and non-profits — all became wrapped in the 800 pound political gorilla — “Benghazi” — as the right wingers thought they final had the black guy in a political death grip — maybe even an impeachable blunder. In combination, running out of fake scandals and phony reasons to hate a black President for “racial” reasons without actually saying it right out, not having any palatable ideas, policies, or programs that would benefit anybody but themselves and their rich “sugar daddies” — and Republicans and their morally and politically bankrupt alllies clutching and grasping at “Benghazi” — clamoring aboard it like the last gasp political “life boat” it was — in desperate hopes of staying alive in the political battle against a really effective Democratic adversary in Barack Obama — Republicans just simply could not afford to let the issue fade away — because as it did — so did the moral justification for their Republican Party — at least in their minds.

I, personally, do not think there has been a moral justification for the Republican Party for the last thirty years or so. But now they have a dilemma. The guy who did “Benghazi”, himself, has said that the anti-muslim video was one of the motivations for the attacks. Not Susan Rice, not President Obama — Abu Kattala, himself. So what do the GOP crazies do not. The Drudge report ignored that fact. Other Republicans have hem and hawed about the fact that this must be just another trick and deception by Obama — that the timing is just “too curious”.

I submit that what is most curious of all is the fact that the American people have not run these “dead-beat dad” political hacks masquerading as statesmen out of town on a rail — much less continue to vote the “jerks” and “jokes” into office — and then be forced to watch the 24/7 clown-car parade they hilariously refer to as the “Republican Party” — embarrassingly play charades with our national policy and federal government on national television and in media outlets around the world. What an embarrassment and humiliation to this great, good country and its wonderful people — to have the “no accounts” pretending to represent us!

By Bifford Caulfied — It’s not like we have been able to count on Republicans to come up with anything sensible in politics, business, tax policy, the middle class, or foreign policy for years, anyway -– so I don’t know why it continues to surprise us when these knuckle-dragging troglodytes vehemently denounce a plan to make our planet a tiny bit more sustainable.

And when they cry out, “Hey, I’m not a scientist, I don’t know”, I distinctly hear, “I am just too dumb and too bought and paid for by the Koch Bros and their “ilk” to dare care about something like the health or sustainability of the planet.” It’s hard to tell what they really think — or if there actually is any signs of life in those seemingly inert brains — but Republicans for some reason believe it is their designated mission (probably Koch Bros assigned) to protest that anything that might extend the life of the planet a week is inherently evil, European socialist with a twist of Obama-Kenya-ism, anti-jobs, and bad for the national debt — and therefore must be fought to the death and defeated.

I guess after watching the “extinctionists” for a few years now — I have just one question. If you guys are so bound and determined to kill the planet and life on earth as absolutely “fast and furiously” as you can — why don’t you all form a Jones-town like cult — all of you go to an Alex meeting presided over by the Koch Bros on some scantily populated South Sea island — and all of you drink the poison cool-aid and kill yourselves. Then you have achieved your goals (at least for yourselves) of ending life, you’re out of your collective misery, and the rest of us can go about the sensible business of trying to sustain life on earth for ourselves and our children and grandchildren. Plus — what a relief to be rid of all of you Republican and Tea Party losers and your plutocratic boyfriends!

Or — as we used to say when I was a kid: “Good riddance — to bad rubbish!”

By Ritchie Totten — LeBron James showed his championship mettle — leading Miami out to a 16 point lead in the first quarter — James scoring 17 points himself in the first. Then the Spurs — ever the Spurs — played Spurs ball. Miami lost a half-step off their frenzied defense — Spurs moved the ball, got the good shots, and Manu Genobili and Kahwi Leonard played lights out — and presto chango — Spurs up 7 points at half — and looking for more! Half-time score — 47-40.

The Second Half. All Spurs! Nothing Miami could do could slow down San Antonio. Tony Parker could hit nothing offensively in the first half, but his speed, deceptiveness, his passing and play making kept the big machine rolling — then suddenly he was on fire as well and hit five shots in a row — and San Antonio rolled into the NBA Championship like a cross between an avalanche and a stampede. Great tribute to Coach Popovich and the “big fundamental” Tim Duncan. Manu Ginobli also had a “back to the future” game in a “back to the future” series– for him. Beautiful basketball. Great run! Spurs win it — 104-87!

By Frank B. Glenn — Despite the fact that Eric Cantor spent 10 million on his house race and David Brat spent less than $100,000, Cantor got soundly whipped in his Virginia Congressional race — and was quite surprised by the fact, apparently. That Cantor lost was pretty surprising, because he had promenaded himself around town as a Tea Party advocate, champion, and cheerleader. The truth of the matter was more that he pretended to be an authentic “tea partier”, but all he actually was in reality was a tireless advocate for the interests of the wealthy — wall street, big business, and corporations, in general.

Either he thought that by cozying up to business working as a tireless “tool” for their interests, he could use their substantial political contributions to overcome any trivial grass-roots protests, or he thought that because he was the Republican majority leader in Congress he was an untouchable — money and connections didn’t matter — and therefore he just couldn’t lose. The “punditocracy” tirelessly beat the “immigration” drum, saying that Cantor had gotten out of step with his constituents on immigration and that that was what did him in. They quoted showed video of, or quoted David Brat railing on Eric Cantor’s views on immigration almost exclusively — but the reality was that David Brat’s entire campaign was based on the fact that Eric Cantor was out of touch — or didn’t care about the everyday people in his district — that all he was was an over-acheiving and predictable advocate for the interests of “big business” and not ordinary Americans.

In fact, surveys taken in Cantor’s district immediately before and immediately after the election showed that more than half of everybody – including Republicans — favored some kind of sensible immigration reform. The only thing immigration related that they objected to with regard to Eric Cantor was that the way he talked about immigration was in the same way that big business and corporations talked about immigration — and that he was simply representing business’s position on immigration, not his the people in his Congressional district in Virginia.

Then, of course, there was the on going insult and disrespect evidenced by Cantor toward his district -- in that as time went on he spent less and less time in his district communicating with voters about their concerns — ones that he might have spoken out for — or represented them about in Congress.

In short, I think Eric Cantor had served as a faithful “tool” or money and power — and obviously thought that with “money and power” his side, he didn’t have to worry much about the pointy headed professor running against him. In fact, Cantor actually mocked David Brat for being an elitist college “professor” type — and implied that therefore Professor Brat could not be taken seriously by the voters. It appears, Mr. Cantor, that you were wrong on that one.

In an interesting political twist, however, we suddenly see the potential for “real” political change emerging as the anti-corporate tea party views and the liberal progressive views coalesce around the ideas of reigning in the power of business in politics and trying to create an economy in which their is a more level playing ground and more income equality.

By John Boudiette — National momentum seems to shifting in favor of legalizing recreational use of marijuana in the after-math of recreational marijuana use having been legalized by voter referenda in Colorado and Washington.

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Representative Earl Blumenauer, D-Oregon, spoke out in favor of ending the federal ban on recreational use of marijuana, noting that 18 states and the District of Columbia have legalized marijuana and many other states are in the process of exploring that option in response to growing public pressure. About 10 lawmakers, most of them liberal democrats, of course, have written or are writing bills that will serve as legislative “guideposts” for the future if the GOP-controlled House of Representatives, as would be presumed, ignores their proposals — and, as is likely — the whole issue of marijuana — during the current Congress. The members, who say it is time to end the 43 year federal ban on recreational use of marijuana — say they are prepared to keep the pressure on even if it takes years to get it done.

“Maybe next year, maybe next Congress, but this is going to change. And the federal government will get out of the way,” Representative Blumenauer said. “I’m very patient. I’ve been working on this one way or another for 40 years, and I think the likelihood of something happening in the next four or five years is greater than ever.” And of course, Peter Bensinger, a former head of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, urged lawmakers to keep the ban in place — despite the pressure to legalize it. “Legalizing it is going to cost lives, money, addiction, dependency,” Bensinger warned in an interview Wednesday.

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But regardless of whether it is now or later — it looks like the tide is irrevocably turning in the favor of legalization. I mean — if you are okay with alcohol and cigarettes — you should be able to tolerate little old innocuous marijuana.

By Robert Preston –A protestor set a new high bar for personal commitment to an issue at the White House gates — when he was arrested for -- among other things — stripping down to his birthday suit in what can only be described as the first “au natural” protest at the White House gates in some time.

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Whether the protestor, identified as one Michel Bechard, did it for the simple shock value — or just as a slightly more news-worthy way of calling attention to his “issue du jour” is not, of course, known yet. Nor has it been determined that the physical assets of the protesting individual were note-worthy to such a degree that it added “tour de force” value to his protest — but for certain no one is questioning his commitment and “verve” in the immediate aftermath of his arrest.

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Police arrested the man, who stripped down and then fought with officers after initially being denied access to the White House grounds. The Secret Service identified the man — and said he was charged with assault and indecent exposure — although only the man himself seemed to have suffered scrapes and bruises in the tussle over admission to the White House grounds. Neither the Secret Service, the White House, the police, nor the media bothered — apparently — to find out what the man was so fervently protesting that he felt compelled to disrobe to further emphasize the point he was trying to make.

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On a side note, Reuters had a brief report on the event, stating that “Officers subdued the man, covered him and sent to a hospital for treatment of minor injuries suffered in the “tussle”. A reporter for the Daily Caller website, who was entering the White House through the same checkpoint, said the man had told the Secret Service officers that he had a 3pm appointment with President Barack Obama and presented his identification. The reporter said the ID was rejected because it was from a foreign country and the man began undressing while insisting that he had to keep his appointment with Obama.

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The President apparently had no comment on the aforementioned, presumed, 3pm appointment with the “nudie” protestor. Sometimes it takes a lot of hard work, time, and devotion to draw attention to the issues of import to oneself — but in this case — whether or not the issue was heard — Michel Bechard must certainly be declared a success when it comes to drawing attention to at least some parts of the “presentation”!

By Peter Le Force — Tea Party crazies are famous for saying they just want to “live by the constitution”, “uphold the constitution”, and most of all -- “restore the constitution”. In reality, what they mean is that the just want to “have things their way” — and everything else be damned — including the constitution.

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Point in case, Bobby Jindal, Governor of Lousiana, historically and hysterically tried to subvert the Constitution when MoveOn opposed and exposed his “deadly and pathetic” refusal to expand Medicaid, which would have provided — for the first and only time — to hundreds of thousands of poor and working poor people in his state. That banal abuse of good governance backfired on Jindal when a court sided with MoveOn and Jindal had to face political consequences of not just being a murderer, but a sourpuss Governor who can’t take criticism.

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And another Tea Party Republican governor has just been “busted”. A federal appeals court ruled last Monday that South Carolina’s own Governor Nikki Haley can be sued for violating the civil rights of Occupy Columbia protesters who she had removed from the Statehouse grounds and arrested back in 2011.

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The Columbia protesters were annoying Mrs. Haley, so she issued an order for the Bureau of Protective Services in South Carolina to arrest the Occupy members at their camp sight who were on Statehouse property past 6p.m. The officers, on direct orders from Haley, bound the protestors with zip ties on their wrists, arrested them and subsequently took them to Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center.

“In light of the case law from this circuit and from the Supreme Court, it was clearly established on November 16, 2011, that arresting Occupy Columbia for protesting on State House grounds after 6:00 p.m. was a First Amendment violation.”

“It is not disputed that South Carolina and its state officials could have restricted the time when the State House grounds are open to the public with a valid time, place, and manner restriction. However, as explained above, at the time of Occupy Columbia’s arrest, no such restrictions existed.”

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The judge ruled against Governor Haley — because the court found that civil rights violations occurred — in that there was no regulation in place preventing camping on the Statehouse grounds. In other words, there was no law on the books saying what protestors could do and not do on the Statehouse grounds. Haley just didn’t like them and their opinions, so she did what any good, Constitution-loving Tea party Republican would do — and had them arrested.
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Haley politicized her interactions with the Occupy Columbia protestors right from the start, dissing and criticizing the gathered protestor — saying:

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“We go by the rule of law. We are not California, we are not New York, we are South Carolina and we believe in the respect of property and citizens.”

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But the courts determined otherwise. There was no law on the books, and the court determined that. Haley, not surprisingly, makes up her own rules when it benefits her. Typical Republican — typical Tea Party Republican, at least. And as far as “respect of property and citizens” — I guess Nikki Haley respects the citizens — until she has them arrested, blatantly preempting their civil liberties — because she and her clown car Tea Party “crazies” don’t think people disagreeing with them is permitted by the Constitution.

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We encourage the Occupiers who were arrested, to sue the Governor, and hammer her administration into submission. She broke the law, oh Constitutional lover that she is — and she violated your civil liberties. Stand up to her and bully tactics, and “whack-a-mole” her back under her rock. And maybe — make her resign.

By Thurmond Leopold -- Asa Hutchinson, GOP 2014 candidate for Arkansas Governor, was turned away from the polling booth on Tuesday for lack of a Photo ID, violating a strict Arkansas “Voter ID Law” that he supported. Hutchinson was already in line waiting vote when he realized that he did not have his photo ID in his possession. He nevertheless progressed to the front of the line and attempted to vote — but was turned away — in that the Arkansas vote ID law requires that every voter present his/her voter photo ID to prove that they are who they say they are — past and present Congress people not excluded.

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Fortunately for the privileged Mr. Hutchinson, however, all he had to do was all his office on his cell phone and request that one of his tax payer financed staff members play “gopher” — and get his photo ID from his office and run it down to the polling station. I wonder how many other people across the country attempting to vote on Tuesday were turned away for lack of a photo ID — and simply called their offices and had an employee (paid for by the American tax-payers) jump up and run the photo ID down to them at the voting booth. I’m guessing not many. And most of them that were turned away probably didn’t even have a photo ID to run and get — and were turned away — even if, prior to passage of this most recent voter photo ID law they had voted at that polling station since the Civil War.

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Let’s face it — vote ID laws are really “voter suppression” laws which take the old “literacy tests”, property requirements, and other Jim Crow laws and modernize them under the guise of protecting the country from virtually non-existent voter fraud. It’s simply another attempt by a tired, old, out of touch political party trying to minimize the negative effect of years of disparaging women, minority, and poorer voters and catering almost exclusively to the rich — such that suddenly Republicans find themselves appealing to an ever smaller number of wealthy, special interest groups that it is harder and harder for them to have a chance to sin national elections.

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Republicans have ceased to believe in or support the basic principles and values of America — since about the time Newt Gingrich came to power in the 1990’s -- and have become fanatically right wing and totalitarian in mindset since the wealthy and politically active got together, invented, funded, and championed the Tea Party crazies as an anti-government “phony grassroots movement” that hated the demise of the Bush/Cheney neo-con political agenda and couldn’t stand that thought of a black man — an “other” — in the heretofore ever so white — “White House.”

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When are Americans going to wise up and quit electing these “knuckle-dragging troglodytes” to public office and then watch them make a total “cluster” and debauchery of the attempts at governance in the United States Congress and half the state legislatures across the country. They have — and continue to — do irreparable harm to our country’s political system — and thus its future — and to the prospects for an on-going, healthy, thriving democracy in this country.